Niagara Peninsula is the largest and most productive viticultural area in Canada, located on the Southern shores of Lake Ontario. It stretches roughly 55km (35 miles) between the eastern limits of Hamilton city in the west and the left bank of the Niagara River as it flows into Lake Ontario. The VQA covers over 13,000 acres (5,200 hectares) oand produces mainly cool Climate varieties such as Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. It also produces a large Volume of ice wine.
Indeed, 90 percent of Canada's ice wine is made here, which makes the region the biggest producer of the style on earth. Needless to say, most other styles of wine are covered in Niagara Peninsula, from rosé and Sparkling wines, to Central-ranges/orange">Orange wines and Pét-nats (Pétillant naturels).
The region boasts nearly 100 wineries, producing over 10 million litres of wine annually.
The geographical Niagara Peninsula appears within the strip of land that runs west-to-east between Lake Ontario in the North and Lake Erie in the south.
The "peninsula" is formed by the Niagara River that flows northwards, between the two lakes. The river also marks the international boundary between Ontario, Canada and the US state of New York.
The viticultural zone is confined to the northern half of the Peninsula, however, between the southern shore of Lake Ontario and the land just south of the Niagara Escarpment. The Escarpment, a 650-mile-long (1050km) limestone ridge that runs from upstate New York through the Great Lakes region, has a profound effect on the Terroir here.
Gamay is a Burgundian grape variety that has existed since the 14th century. For fear of competition with the pinot noir of Burgundy, gamay was finally uprooted and planted in the Beaujolais region, from Mâcon to Lyon. These siliceous and granitic soils suit it perfectly, and it gives its best here. But it is also planted all over France, such as in Lorraine, in the Loire Valley, in Bugey, in Savoie and in Auvergne. Gamay is early and very productive and needs to be limited so that quality prevails over quantity. Short winter pruning of the shoots and high density of vines per hectare are the methods that allow it to produce very fruity, fresh and greedy red wines. Gamay is also very popular in red wine futures, and produces wines from the Beaujolais region with very interesting character and ageing potential. The AOCs Crémant-de-Bourgogne, Mâcon, Anjou, Touraine, Rosé de vallée de la Loire, Côtes-d'Auvergne, Saint-Pourçain, Bugey, Gaillac, Côtes du Luberon... and many vins de pays are proud of it. Today, about 36,000 hectares of Gamay are cultivated in France, including 22,000 hectares in Beaujolais.
wines from the region of Niagara Peninsula go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, pork or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of beef bourguignon in the oven of nanou, cantonese rice or rabbit with goat cheese and mint.
On the nose in the region of Niagara Peninsula often reveals types of flavors of cream, butter or floral and sometimes also flavors of tropical fruit, earth or black fruit. In the mouth in the region of Niagara Peninsula is a powerful with a nice freshness.
Canada’s wine community is mourning the sudden loss of beloved Ontario winemaker Paul Pender. Passing away at the age of just 54, Pender died ‘unexpectedly under tragic circumstances’ on 4 February, 2022, as announced by sister wineries Tawse and Redstone. Before becoming director of viticulture and winemaking at Tawse and Redstone, he was a carpenter. When he developed an allergy to the dust and solvents, he went back to school to study winemaking at Niagara College in 2004. Pender’s interns ...
The 0.27% of entries awarded Best in Show at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards reflect the inspiring world of wine and quest for quality among winemakers globally, with 50 wines expressing the best of their categories. An all-time record for wines tasted at the world’s largest wine competition, it’s quite possible that Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 marks the largest-ever wine competition to be held in history. And of the record-breaking 18,244 wines tasted, just 50 were ...
The first tranche of the range, drawn from the stocks of the Gordon family, owner of Glenfiddich and Balvenie distiller William Grant & Sons, sold out within weeks of its release in May this year. The second batch again comprises eight whiskies – four each in The Charles Gordon Collection and The Legacy Collection – priced from £950 to £4,900 per bottle. All are exclusively available to pre-order online. The rarest of the autumn releases is ‘A Singular Blend’, a combination of grain and malt ...
